Fernando Naya Montáns studied industrial engineering at the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), majoring in mechanical and nuclear engineering in 2011, after developing his master thesis in Air Liquide’s combustion department at the Claude-Delorme Research Center (CRCD) in Paris (France). Back to Spain, he continued his professional career at Airbus Military, working in the design of engine equipment and systems of the A-400M aircraft. His interest in the design of aeronautical structures and aircraft components encouraged him to start a PhD in material science and engineering at the civil engineering school belonging to the Technical University of Madrid (UPM, where he developed his research in computational and experimental micromechanics of composite materials. He also worked as a researcher at IMDEA Materials institute, where he strengthened his relationship with the aeronautical industry and the Airbus group through several European research projects (ITER PCR, SIMSCREEN, CRASHING) funded by public and private entities.

Once he obtained his PhD, with honors, in 2017, he moved to Switzerland, where he worked for two years as a postdoctoral researcher at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), within the Laboratory of applied mechanics and reliability analysis (LMAF) supervised by prof. John Botsis, developing numerical (FEA) and experimental techniques aimed to understand the fracture behavior of advanced composite materials. During his postdoctoral stay, he was also a lecturer in Strength of Materials and Fracture Mechanics, and he supervised several bachelor and master thesis. After EPFL, in 2019 he resumed his professional activity at IDOM (Madrid) nuclear department, where he coordinated the design and thermomechanical analysis (FEA) of systems and components for advanced nuclear reactors (ITER, STEP, JHR).

In 2020 he resumed his academic activity, combining his work at IDOM with a lecturer position in the Continuum Mechanics and Structural Analysis (MMCyTE) department at the University Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M). In 2021, he started a position as a postdoctoral researcher in the same department, where he currently combines his research within the Lightweight Structures Dynamics group with his teaching activity at the UC3M.

He has a relevant experience in numerical and experimental techniques applied to the mechanical characterization of composite materials. Moreover, he has a large professional experience in the aeronautical and nuclear industry, acquired through 11 R&D projects, most obtained through competitive calls, funded by the European Union and private companies.

Fernando Naya has published 19 scientific documents, including 12 JCR published in journals recognized internationally as a reference in the field of composite materials (most of them Q1). According to Scopus, his scientific work accumulates 597 citations, and his h index is 11. His scientific interest includes simulation and optimization of the mechanical behavior of composite materials under complex loading, such as multiaxial stress states, dynamic loading, thermal and electromagnetic loading, and harsh environments (e.g., nuclear radiation, cryogenic environment). Moreover, he is also interested in advanced material characterization techniques (dynamic regime, microscale) and innovative manufacturing methods (thermoforming, 3D printing) for next generation composite materials.